Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 45: Square Circles

The sun and moon argued in their unknown dialect. The former flew away while the latter threw kitchen utensils at it. The planet was basked in darkness once again.

Yamaguchi was a million miles away in his own little world. He'd gone completely catatonic when he saw his XO get his throat ripped out before being eaten by two other soldiers. His limbs flailed as he fought for life before going limp. Yamaguchi would've been eaten as well had Annabelle not stepped in and fought off the other cannibals with ease. Even in the midst of his trauma, he admired how her kicks were elegant and devastating. She landed a high kick on a man and shattered every bone in his neck; his head dangled uselessly, held to his body only by a broken mess of flesh and spine fragments.

"Come on! You're not gonna die here!" she said while carrying him away.

Yet he wished now more than ever he had died. The Army told him it would be an easy victory and they were only facing "a legion of dime-a-dozen mercenaries."

He wanted to strangle those overconfident bureaucrats who sent him and his men into this hellhole—this complete massacre—but he couldn't even blame them, either. He saw the same intel they'd seen and voiced no concerns with the plan. He figured with the Gladexians on his side, he could focus more on what he'd do to the godless little fucks who'd ordered those civilians to be slaughtered. He wasn't cool and collected like he should've been, but he never claimed to be perfect.

In the dim red light of the APC's troop compartment, Annabelle spoke coolly on the radio handset as though she were talking to a relative. She would occasionally sneak glances at Elizabet, who sat glumly in her own corner, still bound by her restraints. A soldier had his rifle pointed at her head since they left the ill-fated base.

"Little chickenshit," Elizabet muttered.

"I'm not taking any more chances with you freaks!" he exclaimed. His brow was furrowed, sweat coursed down his face, and his eyes seemed permanently wide. "You even think about moving and I'll blow your fucking brains out!"

"Hey, you two, cool it!" snapped a sergeant.

Annabelle put away the handset and sat down next to Elizabeth, whose pride seemed hurt by the bandage placed diagonally across her chest.

"I really don't need this shit on me, these are just paper cuts," Elizabeth muttered.

"It's just a formality. Can't have you bleeding out."

Elizabeth huffed. "You seriously don't have any more healer shit in your cloak?"

Annabelle racked her brain and finally remembered something. She stuck her hand in her cloak and dug around. "I bought something from a little market in Barlen. The merchant claimed it had healing properties but I never tested it."

Elizabeth was curious now. "What is it?"

Annabelle held out a small jar full of purée with a smile. "Applesauce!"

"What the fuck kinda healin' properties is applesauce gonna have?"

"Just try it!"

"Fuck off."

"Not till you eat the applesauce."

Elizabeth swiped the jar out of her hand and jammed her finger in it. "Let's see what the big fuckin' deal is." She ate a tiny portion and smacked it around to savor it. She was silent for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Oh, wow."

Annabelle rose to her feet and met her gaze. "Wow what?"

Elizabeth ripped off the bandage and looked down at her chest; the wounds had rapidly healed. She looked up at her with borderline euphoria in her eyes. "Holy shit, I feel amazing! Did they spike this with drugs, too?"